Hydrostatic Pressure and Your Wet Basement

Hydrostatic Pressure

What is hydrostatic pressure and why you should care? Well, if you are a homeowner and you find yourself with a wet basement and you can’t figure out why. You should care about hydrostatic pressure and its effects. Basically it is the pressure from the water that has built up in the soil (groundwater) surrounding your home’s foundation. While water does not weigh much (about 60 pounds).

When you are talking about tons of soil that can weigh thousands and thousands of pounds you can understand why water can make its way into even the smallest of cracks in your concrete or another porous type of foundations. There are exterior and interior waterproofing methods that can help alleviate hydrostatic pressures such as a properly installed french drain system on the perimeter of your basement or crawl space. This waterproofing method uses pipes to direct the water to a sump pump so that water can be pumped out of the basement before it floods.

Although pipes can be installed on the outside of your home to redirect water away from your foundation and thus not allowing it to penetrate through openings. They can also become clogged by dirt and other contaminants over time. The best exterior waterproofing methods use a combination of pipes and waterproofing membranes to keep water out.

Morgan Basement Waterproofing are experts at handling all your basement waterproofing needs. We have been servicing Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware for almost 40 years. Call us today for a FREE No-obligation inspection or estimate. 1-877.401.4777 or 610.696.0100